ROCHESTER — Resident Heather Donnell never thought she'd actually drive her 4-year-old daughter to the police station but, when push came to shove, that's exactly what she did.

By Samantha Allensallen@fosters.com

ROCHESTER — Resident Heather Donnell never thought she'd actually drive her 4-year-old daughter to the police station but, when push came to shove, that's exactly what she did.

After sharing her alternative parenting story on the Rochester Police Department's Facebook page, she didn't expect to be recognized for it either.

Donnell's adorable daughter, Teighan Mills, had a propensity for unbuckling in the car to show her mom how upset she was. A little more than a week ago, when a Sunday shopping trip to Walmart went sour because Mills didn't get a treat, Donnell said she felt like she was out of options.

“Teighan is a very smart little 4-year-old,” her mom said. “However, she likes to push me until she can't anymore. She was constantly unbuckling … and I had warned her, 'If you take off your seat buckle again, we're going to have to go to the police station so they can talk to you about why this isn't OK.'”

When Donnell arrived at the station that afternoon, with her 2-year-old son Lucas in tow, Rochester's finest were in a company meeting. A station clerk told her to drive home and the station would send an officer over.

Donnell said she was surprised when an officer actually showed up, assuming they may be too busy and would give her situation a low priority. But Officer Eric Krans, who has been with the Rochester police for almost a year and a half, arrived and gave Teighan his full attention.

“I was instructed to go. And we enjoy working with the community,” Krans told Foster's. “I went over there and met with little Teighan. She's a very cute little girl, very smart, and very shy at first.”

Krans also brought along some brightly colored stickers that read “Buckle up!” He left Teighan with a roll and told her to hand them out whenever she sees someone else not abiding by the law, “to empower her,” he said.

When Donnell posted a comment to the police Facebook page on Jan. 28, with a thank you and an explanation of what happened, the story seemingly went viral with more than 400 “likes” in only a few hours and dozens of comments. Today, the story stands with 644 likes and almost 60 comments, though not without some negative replies. One or two residents posted they thought the police department had better things to do and Donnell shouldn't bother police with something so minor.

Capt. Paul Toussaint said the police department is doing more and more “unconventional police work” and Krans wouldn't have been assigned if the department couldn't make time.

“The role of the police is not just a traditional locking up of criminals. There's so much more that we do and encourage a lot of our officers to do,” Toussaint said. “(Krans) is a perfect example … We're very proud when we get this type of attention for when our officers do great work like this.”

Donnell said in an age where most moms are terrified to get a call their children have been a horrible car accident, with the added detail that the passengers were not wearing their seat belts, she said she hopes this has driven the point home.

“I know some people think it's terrible parenting, but they wouldn't have come out if they didn't have the time,” Donnell said. “She buckles every time in the car (now) … And I thought it was better for her to meet an officer that way rather than at an accident scene.”

Donnell, a preschool teacher at the Jack and Jill School and Rochester native, said she is proud to report only a few days ago, Mills' father in Somersworth did not buckle up in the car, so the little girl learned forward with her highlighter-yellow stick and said, “Daddy, buckle up!”

Mills told Foster's while she can “get shy around cops,” she was excited to meet an actual police officer. Showing off her buckling skills inside her family car, she said it really isn't that hard to remember to wrap a strap over your shoulder.

“I'm going to tell people to buckle up,” she said.

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